Method of making heels.



2 SHEETS'-SHEEI 1.

E. E. WINKLEY. METHOD OF MAKING HEELS.

C HON FILED N Patented Nov. 19,1918.

2 S EEEEEE SHEET 2.

warren snares earner canine.

ERAS'IUS E. WINKLEY, OF LYNN. MASSACHUSETTS. ASSIGNOR. BY MESNE ASSIGIN-MENTS, TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JEEFEY,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF MAKING HEELS.

specification of Itettere Patent. Patented New, 1 ,33, M31185,

Application filed November 19, 1914. Serial No. 872,989.

- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERASTUS E. \VINKLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts,have. invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of MakingHeels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a method of making heels peculiarly. althoughnot necessarily, applicable to the manufacture of heels from the cheaperheel-stock materials such as leatherboard or an analogous leather orpaper composition.

The term heel is used indiscriminately by persons skilled in the art ofmaking shoes and parts thereof, when referring to individual heels, toindicate either a shaped heel, that is a heel prepared for applicationto a soled 'shoe,-or a rough heel,'which is hereinafter, forconvenience, termed a heel block, that is a heel ready for the shapingoperation. It is to be understood that the term heel is thus usedthroughout this specification.

Heretofore it has been customary to manufacture heels by dinking outsingly a series of graded lifts which are thereafter assembled in a heelpile in proper sequence and lateral relation to provide for the desiredpitch at the back of the finished heel. Such a method of manufacture haslong been recognized as expensive in that a special die must bemaintained in stock for each size of lift. Further, an undesirable wasteof stock is incurred due to the fact that the die cuts, owing to thedies being the shape of a heel lift with a rounded back, cannot becompletely interlocked over the stock during the dinking operation.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method of makingheels which obviates the disadvantages attendant upon the earliermethods including an elimination of the expense due to individual diesfor each lift size, and provision for the utilizastood by tion of theheel stock material with a mini mum of waste.

In accordance with this object the invention contemplates building heelsfrom polygonal lifts, that is, lifts which may be produced by straightedged knives, and after a heel pile, or heel block as herein designated,has been formed from such lifts it may be shaped to' the general form ofa heel blank by rounding off the back with a suitable shaping cutter.block, thus produced, may be compressed, as usual, into a commercialheel blank.

As the character of the shaping step may vary in accordance with theviews of the different shoe manufacturers it is contemplated that singleheel blocks can be pro duced at one point and shipped to the variousshoe factories where the blocks may bev shaped by the manufacturers tosuit their individual requirements. The production of a heel block ofthe character hereinafter described, forms an additional feature of thepresent invention which is claimed in a divisional application, SerialNo. 224,172, filed March 23, 1918.

The invention consists in the method of making heels, the preferredmanner of practising which is hereinafter described and defined bothbroadly and in detail in the appended claims. The invention may readilybe practised by hand using hand cutters, or, if found desirable,suitable power actuated devices may be used.

The invention will be most readily undera reference to the accompanyingdrawings, illustrating the preferred manner of practising the invention,in which:

Figure 1 represents strips of heel stock material of graded widths, cutfrom a sheet or sheets;

Fig. 2 indicates the manner in which the strips shown in Fig. '1 are cutto produce a graded series of rectangular lifts for use in theproduction of a heel block;

Fig. 3 shows a plan and a side elevation of a heel block formed bypiling the series of lifts cut from the strips;

Fig. 4 shows a plan and a side elevation Thereafter the shaped heellifts rt, etc., produced being of the heel blockof Fig. Shaving its rearcorners slabbed 0ft a Fig. 5 shows a plan and a side elevation of a heelblock shaped to the general form of a heel blank;

Fig. 6 shows a side and a front elevation of a heel blank;

Fig. 7 shows a perspective of the heel block illustrated in Fig. 4:, and

Fig. 8 shows a perspective of the shaped heel block illustrated in Fig.5.

In the following description theheel stock material of whatevercharacter it may be, will, for convenience of nomenclature be referredto as leatherboard simply.

In the preferred method of ractising the invention the sheets of leatheroard are cut into straight-sided strips.S (Fig. 1). These strips aregraded as to width in accordance with the widths of the various liftswhich are to compose a heel. It is more convenient to cut a' singlesheet into stripsall of the same width, but this is not essential and asingle sheet may be cutinto graded strips if this is found desirable.After the strips of leatherboard have been produced a number is selectedin accordance with the height of the particular heel to be produced, forexampte, for an 8'8 heel eight strips, a, b, c, d, e, f, g,-h as shownin Figs. 1 and 2 are used. From the end of each strip alift is cut by astraight line out as indicated by the cross lines in Fig. 2. The lengthcut from each strip a, etc. is proportional to the width of the strip,2'. 6., its length is in accordance with the required length for a liftof the width of the partieular strip being cut so that as a result aseries of lifts a, Z), 0, d, e, f, g, h, is produced varying in bothwidth and length. These'cuts are continued throughout the length of thestrips, each series of used in the production of a single heel.Thereafterthe lifts a, etc., are pasted, piled and placed.

under pressure until the paste is dry to form a heel block, their edgesat one side -being placed in the same vertical plane to form a fiatbreast for the heel although otherwise they are piled symmetrically.This produces a heel'block A in the form of a truncated, stepped pyramidhaving one vertical side, which provides the heel body shape requiredfor a large majority of the heels which are made, especially for menswear. (See Fig. .3). For other types of heels, for example French heelshaving a' cut under breast, the vertical side is notessential.

It will also be observed that the lateral surfaces of the heel blockthus prepared, lie. in planes closely approximating the pitch orangularity of the lateral surface of the finished heel which isultimately produced therefrom. Furthermore, the lifts can be The heelblock A may now be trimmed to the general form of a heel blank by anysuitable shaping cutter acting along the dotted line Z-to remove therear smooth the entire peripheral surface, producing the shaped heelblock C shown in Figs. 5 and 8. It is considered preferable however, asa refinement of the method, althouglr not essential, to first bevel orslab off, with a straight bladed knife, the two rear corners of the heelblock, as shown at 7', producing the beveled heel block B of Figs. 4and-7. The beveling'step produces a heel block in which less materialneed be removed by the shaping cuts thus making this step easier for theoperative and causing less wear on the shaping cutter.

corners and After the trimming of either of the heel shape of heel seat,size mark, and other characteristics as may be desired. As many tons ofpressure are required to compressthe heel this operation can beperformed only by a machine. Any of the commercial heel compressingmachines may be used such, for instance, as that illustrated and leedescribed as Letters Patent of the United States to E. A. Tripp, No.776,875, dated December 6, 1904.

In the preferred manner of practising the invention the strips a, etc.,are produced by means of a straight cutter-blade having a. cutting edgebeveled at both sides symmetrically. This produces strips havingsubstantially vertlcal "sides with respect to the planes of the twofaces of the lifts. The lifts 0., etc., are also produced by shearing,cutter blade which may have its edge beveled on one side only. Thestrips are fed to the cutter from its straighter side so that a bevel isformed by the beveled a straight side of the cutting edge on that edgeof I smoother surface for the shaping cutter towork upon than is thecase if such a bevel were not provided. The unbeveled sides of the liftsare used at the vertical breast of the heel.

An important feature of the method reown factory shapes sides in theproduction of the lifts wholly by knives having straight edges, or saws.

may be used, thus entirely doing away. with expensive dies, while yetobtaining as a resultant product a heel blank of a similar form to theheel blanks heretofore produced when the lifts were cut with dies. Theheel blank produced by the present method, has, indeed, an advantageover the former heel blanks in that its peripheral surface has alreadybeen once trimmed and therefore less work is required in the heeltrimming operation after the blank has been attached to the shoe.

A further, important advantage of the present method .of manufacturingheels re-' sides in the fact that the heel blocks may be built in a fewgeneral sizes by the heel manufacturer and then shipped in quantity tothe shoe manufacturer who at his their lateral faces in accordance withthe style of heel which he uses.

In the drawings illustrating the novel method the heel shown is of thewedge type, that is a wedge lift W is introduced at a convenient pointbetween the straight lifts so to produce a heel blank high at the backsuitable for Cuban, Military, and other like heels. It should beunderstood, however, that the invention is not confined to the making ofthis particular type of heel.

When a wedge heel is built one of the strips a, etc., will have a wedgestrip substituted therefor, that is, a strip having the edge at one sidethicker than the other. As the thin edge of the rectangular wedge lift,produced by cuttin the wedge strip on the cross lines shown in Fig. 2,is always placed at the breast of the heel, the opposite or thick edgewill lie at the back of the heel. Consequently, in order to assemble thelifts without having to shift their positions, as shown in Fig. 2, theside edge of each of the even lifts corresponding in position to thethick edge of the wedge lift should be given the bevel hereinbefore mentioned.

It will be understood from the foregoing that in making wedge heels, inorder to facilitate assembly of the wedge lift with the other lifts, theknife which may have tire single bevel on its edge should be used to:produce the strips and the knife-which may have the symmetrical doublebevel on its edge should be used to roduce the lifts from the strips.

Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the method ofmaking heels herein described affords an organized method of manufactureof heels of the cheaper heel stock materials which is very simple and emables the heels to be produced with greater economy, while yet retainingin the product the more desirable qualities of heels manufactured fromthe more costly materials, together with additional qualities notobtainable in heels made by the earlier methods.

Having thus described the invention and the preferred method ofpractising it, yet recognizing that modifications and changes may bemade in the sequence and character of the steps described and still fallwithin the spirit and scope of the invention, and having due regard tothe important and novel featur of making heels from lifts of polygonalshape, the invention is definitely stated in its true scope in thefollowing claims:

lVhat is claimed as new is 1. The method of making heels which includesproducing from a sheet or sheets of heel stock material a plurality ofpolygonal lifts of different sizes, piling said lifts into a heel blockof the form of a truncated, stepped pyramid having one flat side, andsecuring said lifts together.

2. The method of making heels which includes producing from a sheet orsheets of heel stock material a plurality of polygonal lifts ofdifferent sizes, piling said lifts into a. heel block of the form of atruncated, stepped pyramid having one flat side, securing said liftstogether, and then beveling or slabbing oft the corners of the slantedside of said heel block opposite its flat side. 7

3. The method of making heels which includes severing a sheetor sheetsof heel stock material into straight sided strips graded as to width,severing from each of a plurality of said strips a straight edged liftof a length proportional to the width of the strip from which it issevered, piling said lifts into a heel block of substantially the formof a truncated pyramid, and securing said lifts together.

4. The method of making heels which includes severing a sheet tr sheetsof heel stock material into graded as to width, severing from each of aplurality of said strips a straight edged lift of a length proportionalto the width of the strip from which it is severed, piling said liftsinto a heel block of substantially 115 the form of a truncated pyramid,securing said lifts together, and then beveling or slabbing olf twoadjacent corners on one side of said heel block.

5. The method of making heels which cons sts 1n cutting from sheetheel-stock mater al a plurality of individual, polygonal l fts graded asto size, superposing said hfts on each other in a pile of steppedformation, and securing said lifts together.

6. The method of making heels which cons sts in cutting from sheetheel-stock mater al a plurality of individual, polygonal lifts, eachhaving a be eled edge at one side, and graded as to size, superposingsaid lifts 130 gig . on each other in a pile of stepped formation pilingand securing said lifts into a heel block, and then beveling or slabbingofi two adjacent corners or" said heel block.

9. The method of making heels which includes the steps of dividing sheetheel stock material into a plurality of individual lifts by means of asuccession of straight, interseating cuts, and securing definite numbersof said lifts together in heel piles, all the lateral surfaces of which,formed by the edges of the lifts, lie in planes closely approximatingthe variations in the pitch or depict of. this patent y angularity ofthe lateral surface of the finished heel to be produced therefrom.

10. The methodof making heels which includes the step 01'? producingpolygonal lifts graded as to heel stock material to the desired form bya plurality of straight line cuts extending completely across thematerial and forming laminated heel blocks therefrom.

11. That step in the method of making heels Which consists in producingpolygonal lifts from sheet heel stock material with area by dividingsheet the sides and back, at least, of their peripheral contourhavingedges-in a plane oblique to the plane of the faces of the lifts.

12. Themethod of making heels which includes the step of producingpolygonal lifts graded as to area stock on straight lines'to the desiredform by cutting sheet heel and forming laminated heel blocks there from.

ERASTUS E. WINKL'EY.

Witnesses:

WARREN G. OGDEN, ELSIE Pnnss.

he obtained for flve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ofPatents,

Washington, D. G.

